Technology Tuesday: A Closer Look at IMTS 2016

Yesterday I blogged about IMTS, providing an overarching summary of the manufacturing technologies featured there. Today, being Technology Tuesday, I thought I’d share a few snapshots from the show floor.

In every hall of McCormick Place, IMTS 2016 built the excitement and anticipation by posting colorful, alluring signage.

Additive manufacturing was a huge attraction in the north hall and this reproduction of a 1952 Willys Army Jeep was created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory by taking an original jeep, reverse engineering it to create a CAD model on the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system to demonstrate the capability of using 3D printing for rapid prototyping of replacement parts.

Like the Jeep in the previous slide, this replica of a classic Shelby Cobra was created using additive manufacturing on the BAAM manufacturing scale printer at Oak Ridge National Labs. The car was recreated from advanced light-weight carbon fiber material in only 24 hours.

The AMIE (Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy) project from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) demonstrates rapid innovation through additive manufacturing to connect a natural gas-powered hybrid electric vehicle to a high-performance building that produces, consumes and stores renewable energy. From concept to reality in just 12 months, the project provides a preview of the potential of energy efficiency and sustainability.

The IMTS Ride Experience thrilled visitors young and old, providing show attendees with the opportunity to ride Olli, a self-driving vehicle from Local Motors. Olli is an Intelligent vehicle that uses sensors and computer technology to transport people safely from one location to another. It's the transportation wave of the future!

On to Machining. This mold base demo was on display in the Unisig booth to illustrate the capabilities of the company's USC-M38 mold drilling and machining center. According to Unisig, this machine performs milling, tapping, thread milling, advanced contouring, deep hole drilling and compound angle machining all in a single clamping and eliminates stacked errors and changeover time.

This Studer S121 universal internal cylindrical grinding machine made its debut in the United Grinding booth during IMTS. United Grinding says the S121 is the ideal machine for a wide range of internal grinding applications including those for molds and dies.

Methods Machine Tools introduced this new Feeler U800 gantry-style, 5-axis machining center. The machine designed with a rigid structure to handle heavy loads and is equipped with a HSK-63 12,000 rpm DDS spindle. I took a closeup photograph to show the unusual "convertible" top, which allows workpieces to be more easily lowered into the machine during setups.

Mazak's booth featured the company's Smooth Technology platform, with machines equipped for high-level manufacturing using Smart Factory principles. Shown above is Mazak's SmartBox digital integration launch platform, which can network and control up to eight machining centers.

Yaskawa America was one of many IMTS exhibitors that displayed and demoed collaborative robots, or cobots. Here, an operator works with a cobot and demonstrates how sensors enable the robot to know where its human is standing and working so that, if needed, it can stop its activities to avoid a collision or injury to the human worker.

LMT Tools displayed several new cutting tools for molds and dies, including these MultiEdge 2Feed mini high-feed milling cutters. They have universal insert sizes to fit the entire range of cutter bodies; are said to provide the highest chipping volumes, even on less powerful machining centers; and are ideal for roughing and semi-finishing.

These solid carbide endmills make up Horn's System DS line for trochoidal milling in steel. The company says the special construction of the geometry for trochoidal milling cycles ensures a quiet process due to the unequal division/split/ and helical cutting edges. The reduced pressure angle milling tools are designed with an extremely stable core diameter.

Yesterday I blogged about IMTS, providing an overarching summary of the manufacturing technologies featured there. Today, being Technology Tuesday, I thought I’d share a few snapshots from the show floor.

Mind you, this IMTS was record-setting in size and attendance – the latest count for registrants who attended the show is 115,612 and the number of exhibitors exceeded 2,000. For this reason, our team of metalworking magazine editors had fairly set lists of exhibitors to visit in the time available each day. So here’s a glimpse of a few of the products and innovations I was able to see during my rounds at the show.

To learn more about IMTS 2016, the exhibitors, the products and innovations, check out imts.com and IMTS TALK, featuring interviews with industry leaders during the show (including MMT’s own Editorial Director Christina Fuges and others on the Gardner Business Media team).

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